Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker / Rosas
“Rosas danst Rosas”

Opening
August 4 & 5, 2026
20.30 H
Muffathalle

Tickets August 4, 2026Tickets August 5, 2026

25–45 EUR / 20 EUR reduced

Accessible

August 4, 2026
PHYSICAL INTRODUCTION with Susanne Schneider
19.30 H
Muffatstudios 
Following the performance at the Muffatcafé: ARTIST TALK

“I felt that it was simply who I am. And I didn’t want a label. But today, after 45 years of working as a creative artist, as a mother, and as a woman, I identify as a feminist. Yes, “Rosas danst Rosas” was a feminist statement – but that wasn’t the plan.” – Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

With “Rosas danst Rosas”, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker created one of the most influential works of postmodern dance in 1983, thereby establishing her international breakthrough. Building on the minimalist approach of “Fase” (1982), the choreography develops a complex structure from reduced, precise movements, in which repetition becomes the central means of expression. Powerful, almost obsessive movement sequences meet everyday gestures, creating an intense tension between formal rigor and emotional presence.

Four dancers perform ceaselessly recurring sequences, as if they were dancing themselves. Rhythm, persistence, and physical exhaustion give rise to a haunting dynamic that was already interpreted as an explicitly feminine and feminist stance at the premiere. The music by Thierry De Mey and Peter Vermeersch, composed in parallel with the choreography, reinforces the piece’s hypnotic effect with its repetitive sound structures.

The film version, directed by Thierry De Mey in 1997, also became an international icon and brought “Rosas Dances Rosas” to the attention of audiences far beyond the dance world. The work lives on today through the participatory online platform “Re:Rosas!”: dance enthusiasts from around the world learn a simplified version of the famous chair sequence there and share their own interpretations. To date, 692 videos have already been submitted from all over the world. Since its premiere, the piece has been performed nearly 500 times by dancers from five generations. The current revival now brings “Rosas danst Rosas” to the stage with an entirely new cast.

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker studied dance at Maurice Béjart’s Mudra School in Brussels and at NYU Tisch School of the Arts in New York. In 1983, she founded the Compagnie Rosas in Brussels during the creation of “Rosas danst Rosas.” Since then, the connection between dance and music has been at the heart of her work. Her pieces combine choreographic precision with influences from geometry, numerical structures, nature, and social dynamics. In 1995, she also founded the renowned dance school P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels in association with La Monnaie / De Munt.

De Keersmaeker explores the expressive power of movement and its close connection to music. In collaboration with musicians, visual artists, actors, and writers, Rosas has developed a precise choreographic language that understands dance as a composition of movement in space and time while simultaneously establishing connections to geometry, art, and language.

Credits:

Choreography: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
Created by: Adriana Borriello, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Michèle Anne De Mey, Fumiyo Ikeda
Performed in 2026 by: Jasmine Achtari, Eva Galmel, Nina Godderis, Momiji Kuromaru
Music: Thierry De Mey, Peter Vermeersch
Musicians: Thierry De Mey, Walter Hus, Eric Sleichim, Peter Vermeersch
Lighting Design: Remon Fromont
Costumes: Rosas
Production: 1983 – Rosas, Kaaitheater; 2026– Rosas
Premiere: May 6, 1983, Théâtre de la Balsamine (Brussels), presented at the Kaaitheater Festival

Rerun with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
Rosas is supported by the Flemish Community and the Flemish Community Commission (VGC)